India dreams big—GDP charts, space launches, unicorns. But even before having strength in your favour as this wonderful piece argues, power is measured in lived functionality, not headlines. History shows this clearly.

https://twitter.com/devinamehra/status/1960942089317048591

South Korea in the 60s: chaotic, polluted, broke. Its leaders chose the grind—roads, sewers, power grids—before swagger. By 1988, Seoul could host the Olympics with confidence.

Just pitching in on the India vs. Bharat debate, in this longish thread: 1/n The double-barrelled formula of ‘India, that is Bharat’ is a baffling one indeed. 2/n

When Russia began its military offensive in Ukraine, I expressed opposition to Moscow’s actions. Some weeks down the line,am growing extremely disillusioned with the assumed righteousness of the western response & echoes of post 9/11 rhetoric about “either you’re with us or not” Speaking from the bylanes and the bazaars of India, neither the West nor Russia seem to be going anywhere on this - except along the path to a post-deluvian wilderness where the countries of the global south huddle together for warmth. It is a dismal prospect.

Why is #WangYi coming to India? Some thoughts in this thread:
The Chinese have a confirmed propensity for such choreographed diplomatic maneuvers- that is their style and habitual mode of transacting foreign relations. Secondly, they see an opening, a scope for new alignments 1/ that must be explored against the scenario of the Russia-Ukraine war, especially if any new alignments can take away from the sum of coalitions within the Indo-Pacific, led by the United States. India is a key and central power in this calculus-an India that is careful not to

What is India’s strategy on Afghanistan? Am sure we realise the HUGE implications of what a Taliban driven by Rawalpindi calling the shots in Afghanistan means for us. As it is, with two hostile neighbours our situation is BAD. Are we just silent spectators as the car crash happens? We are a a big country, neither small nor helpless, proud of our autonomy of foreign policy. We are not a small western country playing follow the leader. No, we are India, proud and independent. And yet..

Please tell me the ‘right lesson’ we learned from Sri Lanka after the IPKF phase? We sacrificed blood and treasure for a good cause- the unity and integrity of SL-although the LTTE fought us bitterly -and we quit before the mission was completed.

https://twitter.com/constantinox/status/1425112495350505475

History has to judge whether that withdrawal was the right decision. The civil war in SL intensified after 1990 and the country’s suffering was profound.

I read Chinese actions in #Ladakh as a significant trespass across the #LAC aimed at gaining tactical advantage and strategic depth in certain vantage points along the LAC as for 1/n e.g Depsang Plain (a wide unimpeded plateau) that offers access to the #AksaiChin as also in reverse to areas on our side, #Galwan Valley (commanding heights over the Darbuk-#Shyok-#DBO Road), #Pangong Tso 2/n

Analyzing PM’s statement of yesterday:
Government has taken realistic view of constraints emanating from asymmetry of power with China . It is also reading the Chinese reaction to J&K reorganization more seriously than before and trying to calm situation along LAC/staunch Galwan Question:will same approach apply to Pangong Tso or Depsang?Possibly.We may be witnessing shift to a less rigid approach on LAC differences with China in the interest of peace &tranquility so that our internal balancing at a time of the many challenges we face is not disturbed.

The official #PLA statement on the tragic #Galwan face-off is worth scrutiny: it refers to the Galwan Valley as being “on the China-Indian border” and that the Indian Army “crossed” the #LAC and “violated their commitments”. 1/n It says that “The sovereignty of the #GalwanValley” has always been China’s. The statement uses the words “seriously violated” twice in its reference to Indian troops having “seriously violated the agreements between the two countries on border issues” and “seriously violated ..

What are the sources of Chinese conduct in #Ladakh today?China today is global power imbued with a strong sense of nationalism, an obstinate sense of righteousness (without morality) about its whole political, military and economic system.. It sees a world stage, particularly an Asian stage that is devoid of a strong American presence or sustained commitment to check #Chineseadventurism or #expansionism whether on sea or land as existed until recent years: this oxygenates #China..

The #IndiaChina border is 3488 km long, not the LAC. The India-China border as India defines it extends eastward from the India-Afghanistan-China trijunction far west of the Karakoram pass to the India-Myanmar-China trijunction in the Eastern Sector.1/n Which is why the border from that western trijunction to the India-Myanmar-China trijunction in the Eastern Sector is 3488 km long. Chinese refuse to discuss stretch west of #KarakoramPass which
largely covers so-called border between #PakOccupiedKashmir &Chinese #Xinjiang. 2/n

It is certainly worth the while of both India and China to seek an early, fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the #boundary question between both countries. 1/5 This has been the refrain sounded at several meetings held by leaders of the two countries in the past. There is nothing new about such a refrain. But sweet words do not a settlement or #diplomacy make. 2/5

Why has the situation in some areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)between #IndiaChina become so ‘hot’ in recent days? The two sides exchanged fisticuffs and belligerent noises have been made. It is true that transgressions along the line are not new occurrences. But..1/8 #Boundary India and have established a number of protocols since 1993 to maintain peace and tranquillity and promote CBMs in the border areas along the LAC. These arrangements have worked pretty satisfactorily for many years now. But suddenly they appear to be fraying.2/8